How to Host a Party

Blind Man's Bluff

Blind man's bluff is played in a spacious area, such as outdoors or in a large room, in which one player, designated as "It" is blindfolded and gropes around attempting to touch the other players without being able to see them, while the other players scatter and try to avoid the person who is "it", hiding in plain sight and sometimes teasing them to make them change direction.

The game is a variant of tag.

There are several other versions of the game:

1. Whenever any player is tagged by the person who is "it", that player is out of the game.
   The game proceeds until all players are out of the game, at which point another round of the game starts, with either the first player or the last player to be tagged becoming the next person who is "it".
2. It feels the face of the person tagged and attempts to identify the person, and only if the person is correctly identified does the person become "it".

A children's game similar to blind man's bluff is Marco Polo, with the main difference being that Marco Polo is played in a swimming pool and the one that is "it" calls out "Marco" to which the other players must reply "Polo." thus indicating their position and making it easier for the person who is It to go in the right direction.

Blind man's bluff should be played in an area free of dangerous obstructions so that the It player will not suffer injury from tripping over or hitting something.

The game was played at least as far back as the Tudor period, as there are references to it being played by Henry VIII's courtiers. It was also a popular parlour game in the Victorian era.

The text in the box is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Blind Man's Bluff"

Duck, duck, goose

A group of players sit in a circle, facing inward, while another player, the 'picker' (a.k.a. the 'fox'), walks around tapping or pointing to each player in turn, calling each a 'duck' until finally picking one to be a 'goose'.

The 'goose' then rises and chases and tries to tag the 'picker', while the 'picker' tries to return to and sit where the 'goose' had been sitting.

If the picker succeeds, the 'goose' is now the new picker and the process begins again.
If the 'goose' succeeds in tagging the picker, the goose may return to sit in the previous spot and the 'picker' resumes the process.

With older children, such as in high school, the 'goose' may attempt to tackle the 'picker'.

There are a whole host of alternative versions below:

Mush Pot

A group of people sit in a circle facing inward. One person is "it" and walks around the circle. As they walk around, they tap people's heads and say whether they are a "duck" or a "goose". Once someone is the "goose" they get up and try to chase "it" around the circle. The goal is to tag that person before they are able sit down in the "goose's" spot. If the "goose" is not able to do this, they become "it" for the next round and play continues. If they do tag the "it" person, the person tagged has to sit in the centre of the circle (the "Mush Pot" or "Stew Pot" or "Cookie Jar"). Then the "goose" becomes "it" for the next round. The person in the middle can't leave until another person is tagged and they are replaced.

Duck Duck Splash

This alternative is typically played during the summer months. The "picker" carries a small bucket of water around the circle and uses it to splash the person who will be the goose. This version is also commonly called "Drip Drip Splash" or, in Canada, "Drip Drip Drop."

Rag Tag / I Wrote a Letter to My Mother

In Rag Tag or Drop the Handkerchief, the players sit in a circle facing inward, while another child, the 'picker', walks around the outside of the circle carrying a rag or handkerchief until finally dropping it behind one child. This child then rises, grabs the rag, and chases and tries to tag the picker. The picker tries to return to the spot where the picked child had been sitting and sit in that spot. If the picker succeeds, the other child is now the new picker and the process begins again. If the child succeeds in tagging the picker, the same child may return to sit in the previous spot and the picker resumes the process. In some versions, the one who is tagged is 'out' and must sit in the center of the circle; when the resulting circle becomes too small, a new game may be started. There is also a version called I Wrote a Letter to My Mother, where the handkerchief is imagined as a letter being accidentally dropped. This version has a song which goes:

A tisket, a tasket, A green and yellow basket, I wrote a letter to my mother, on the way I dropped it, and one of you has picked it up and put it in your pocket. Not you, not you, not you, not you………

Extreme Duck Duck Goose

This variant is played the same as regular duck duck goose, except in how the goose and picker try to get back to the empty spot. Instead of the goose chasing after the picker, he or she goes the opposite way and tries to intercept the picker on the other side of the circle. Physical contact is allowed (but not required); this usually involves wrestling and soft tackling.

Throwing of limbs or fists is never allowed, the intent is always to only temporarily slow down your opponent so you can be first back to the empty spot.

Duck Duck Animal

This variant can suddenly be applied to a standard game of duck duck goose if the picker decides to tag someone as an animal other than a duck or a goose. The picker then chooses a relevant form of movement or charade, and the picker and the animal race back to the spot using that form of movement or charade. Some examples include hopping around the circle for duck duck kangaroo, or pulling oneself around on one's stomach for duck duck amoeba. The motion does not necessarily have to correspond to an actual animal, as the picker may choose to roll around the circle for duck duck rock.

Pato Pato Ganso

When the 'goose' is picked, the 'picker' runs in one direction of his or her choice around the circle, while the 'goose' runs in the other direction. The first person who gets to the vacant space rejoins the circle, while the other person becomes the 'picker'.

The text in the box is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Duck, duck, goose"

Simon says

Simon says is a game for three or more players.

One of the people is "it" – i.e., Simon. The others must do what Simon tells them to do when asked with a phrase beginning with "Simon says".

If Simon says "Simon says jump", the players must jump (players that do not jump are out).

However, if Simon says simply "jump", without first saying "Simon says", players do not jump; those that do jump are out.

In general, it is the spirit of the command, not the actions that matters; if Simon says "Simon says touch your toes", players only have to show that they are trying to touch their toes. It is the ability to distinguish between valid and invalid commands, rather than physical ability, that matters here.

It is Simon's task to try to get everyone out as quickly as possible, and it is every one else's job to stay "in" for as long as possible.

The last of Simon's followers to stay in wins (although the game is not always played all the way through).

It is considered cheating to give impossible commands ("Simon says 'lift your left leg'. Simon says 'lift your right leg'. Simon did not say 'put your left leg down'!") or to phrase the commands in such a way that the other player has no option but to 'go out' ("Simon says 'jump up'. Come down.").

However, at least in some versions, it is allowed for Simon to eliminate players by asking them to do something seemingly unrelated to the game (example: "Anyone remaining join me up here.")

The text in the box is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Simon says"

Musical chairs

The game starts with any number of players and a number of chairs one fewer than the number of players; the chairs are arranged in a circle (or other closed figure if space is constrained; a double line is sometimes used) facing outward, with the people standing in a circle just outside of that.

A non-playing individual plays recorded music or a musical instrument.

While the music is playing, the players in the circle walk in unison around the chairs.

When the music controller suddenly shuts off the music, everyone must race to sit down in one of the chairs.

The player who is left without a chair is eliminated from the game, and one chair is also removed to ensure that there will always be one fewer chair than there are players.

The music resumes and the cycle repeats until there is only one player left in the game, who is the winner.

Versions

One version of the game has players sit on the ground when the music stops, the last to sit being eliminated. This is known as 'musical bumps'.

In a non-competitive version of "musical chairs" one chair but no player is eliminated in each round. All players have to "sit down" on the remaining chairs, while their feet must not touch the floor.

The text in the box is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Musical Chairs"

Musical statues

Players stand in an area and wait for music to start to play (controlled by the game master / judge).

 When the music starts the players should dance to the music, the more spirited the better.

The game master will then stop the music at a random point.

When the music has stopped all players should freeze.

The judge then walks among the players and watches to see who is still moving or doesn't stop fast enough; those people are called out of the game.

Play continues until there is only one person left (the winner).

If the game starts to get difficult to call people out, the players should be encouraged to get more enthusiastic so that it is more difficult to stop on time.

Sometimes the game master can also call a theme for the statues, so that the players must impersonate something such as an animal or activity.

The text in the box is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Musical statues"

Sleeping lions

All but one or two players are "lions", and lie down on the floor, eyes closed, as if they were sleeping.

The remaining one or two players ("hunters") move about the room attempting to encourage the lions to move.

The hunters may not touch the lions, but may move close to them, tell jokes, etc.

Any person who moves must stand up and join the hunters.

Variations of the game can include: dead soldiers, sleeping logs, standing scarecrows, resting tigers, dead beaver, and fishies.

The text in the box is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sleeping lions"

Pass the parcel

In this game a parcel is passed from person to person around a circle, somewhat similar in its logistics to musical chairs.

In preparation for the game, a prize is wrapped in a large number of layers of wrapping paper. Usually, each layer is of a different design so they can be easily distinguished. Smaller prizes may be placed between some or all other layers of wrapping.

During the game, music is played as the parcel is passed around. Whoever is holding the parcel when the music is stopped removes one layer of wrapping and claims any prize found under that layer. The music is then restarted and the game continues until every layer is removed and the main prize claimed.

The stopping and starting of the music is usually done by an adult who is not taking part in the game. While in order for the game to be fair, they should not observe the game, in practice they often do, to ensure that every participant has a turn, that prizes are well distributed and perhaps that the child whose party it is claims the main prize.

A fairer alternative is to prepare recordings of short snatches of music.

Variations on the game include allowing participants to remove as many layers of paper as possible (rather than just one) before the music restarts, and including challenges or forfeits on slips of paper in place of mottos.

Variations of the game can include: dead soldiers, sleeping logs, standing scarecrows, resting tigers, dead beaver, and fishies.

The text in the box is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pass the parcel"